Here's the Economic Calendar for the week commencing the 23rd of May 2011. This week there's more GDP results (revisions) for 1Q 2011 with Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. all due to report. In the U.S. there's new home sales, house price index, pending home sales, University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment, and Personal consumption expenditure data due out. In Japan there's international trade data, consumer price index (inflation) numbers and retail sales results, while China has industrial profits figures.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/271288-economic-calendar-gdp-revisions-japan-data-and-u-s-data

In most developed economies, the sector that hurt the most during the financial crisis and ensuing recession tended to be the consumer sector. Ironically, in the lead up to the crisis, it was the excesses of this sector that helped create the conditions that led to the crisis. But while the recession was largely a structural phenomenon, and has led many to call for a rebalancing of developed economies away from such a consumer-centric model, the fact remains that the consumer sector still matters.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/270912-the-u-k-consumer-an-important-barometer

Vietnam briefly slipped into the headlines this week with yet another interest rate increase, bringing its refinancing rate to 15.00% (up 100bps). The move follows a series of 100 basis point increases in interest rates and is driven by a surge in prices, with annual inflation reaching 17.5% in April. These events rightfully bring into focus the merits of investing in this emerging (or frontier?) market, at least in the short term, but also in view of the longer term prospects...

http://seekingalpha.com/article/270596-time-to-go-long-vietnam-with-vnm

The Banco Central de Chile just increased its monetary policy interest rate by 50 basis points to 5.00%. So what is going on in the Chilean economy? This report provides a brief insight into the monetary policy decision, the state of Chile's economy, and how investors can gain exposure to this market.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/270004-should-you-invest-in-chile

Here's the Economic Calendar for the week commencing the 15th of May 2011. This week brings more inflation results from the eurozone, the U.K., and Canada. There's also Q1 GDP from Japan, which also has industrial production figures out, and an interest rate decision due from the Bank of Japan. The U.S. has housing starts, building permits, and existing home sales data due this week. Elsewhere there's retail sales figures due from the U.K. and Canada, and foreign direct investment numbers from China.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/269963-economic-calendar-eu-cpi-japan-gdp-u-s-housing-market

The National Bank of Poland increased its reference rate by 25 basis points to 4.25% (and increased its other interest rates by 25bps: lombard rate 5.75%, deposit rate 2.75%, and rediscount rate 4.50%). The move marks the Bank's 3rd interest rate increase this year as the emerging East European economy faces rising inflation pressures.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/269545-why-poland-s-central-bank-increased-interest-rates

Here's a graphical rundown on some of the key economic indicators that China just put out for April. Included in the review is the inflation situation, consumer spending, the pace of loan growth, industrial production trends, and growth in the money supply. The data provide a timely insight into where China's economy is at, and perhaps more importantly, where it is going.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/269391-what-s-happening-with-china-s-economy

China reported a trade surplus for the month of April at $11.4B, up from virtually 0 in March. Exports rose to a record $155.7B (up 2% m/m, 30% y/y) from $152.2B in March and $119.9B in April 2010. Imports slipped month-on-month to $144.3B (down 5% m/m, up 22% y/y), from $152B in March, and $118.2B in April 2010. The return to a monthly surplus will likely accentuate pressure from the US for China to alter its yuan policy, but there are other forces at work which will drive both upward and downward pressure on China's trade balance.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/268994-is-this-china-s-last-trade-surplus

With China continuing to see high inflation and the PBOC implementing a series of monetary policy tightening moves, the Yuan (or particularly the Yuan-Dollar exchange rate) has been highlighted as a potential inflation fighting tool. To be sure, there is also the ongoing chorus from the US urging China to allow a more flexible exchange rate. They say the exchange rate is artificially kept high; granting China an advantage in trade. So with these points in mind, and noting the impending talks between China and the US, it is timely to take a look at some Yuan data, and perhaps developing an informed view.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/268830-a-brief-look-at-yuan-valuations

Here's the Economic Calendar for the week commencing the 8th of May 2011. This week features China's monthly economic data release with PPI, CPI, industrial production, retail sales, fixed asset investment, and international trade stats due out from the world's second largest economy. Elsewhere there is an emphasis on inflation data with CPI due from Germany, France, Switzerland, and the US, there's also PPI data due from those countries. The other key data pieces will be eurozone GDP, and industrial production data from the eurozone, UK, Italy, France, and of course China.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/268736-economic-calendar-china-data-u-s-inflation-and-eu-gdp

A quick check-in on the Chinese property market shows prices continued to rise in April, but apparently at an increasingly slower pace. According to SouFun/China Real Estate Index System, the average property price across 100 cities rose 0.40% in April to CNY 8,773 per square meter. The results compare to 0.59% in March where property prices rose to 8,738 per square meter. The average price per square meter six months ago was 8,418 Yuan, i.e. average prices are now 355 Yuan higher. For a 100 square meter place this would translate to about a 35,500 Yuan (US$5500) increase in the total purchase price.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/268630-china-property-update-small-positives-today-to-become-small-negatives-tomorrow

The Reserve Bank of Australia gave the market no surprises today when it held the cash rate unchanged at 4.75%, offering no respite for those lamenting the strong Australian dollar. But there were a number of assumptions in the accompanying media release that might be considered bold at best. It is fitting, then, that in this release the Bank added another sentence to the final paragraph: "In future meetings, the Board will continue to assess carefully the evolving outlook for growth and inflation." But more on that later.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/267322-reading-between-the-lines-of-reserve-bank-of-australia-s-rate-announcement

With silver spiraling out of control, it's worth checking in on some of the other commodities. Indeed the agricultural or soft commodities have, as a group, been surging in recent times, sending the Dow Jones UBS commodities index up over 30% year on year...

http://seekingalpha.com/article/267070-three-cs-going-crazy-in-commodities

China's April PMI stats just came out and were more or less flat compared to March. The official CFLP manufacturing PMI came in at 52.9 in April, down slightly from 53.4 in March, and below the Bloomberg consensus of 53.9. The preliminary HSBC/Markit reading was 51.8, the same as the March reading. The readings show the manufacturing sector in China still in expansionary mode, which bodes well for the Chinese economy. Paradoxically perhaps, in the short term it will likely mean further monetary policy tightening with an increasing likelihood of an additional interest rate hike as the economy proves relatively resilient to the inflation fighting efforts to date.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/267013-china-pmi-heralds-further-policy-tightening-and-possible-opportunities

Here's the Economic Calendar for the week commencing the 1st of May 2011. The week ahead sees PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) data due out from a range of key economies including China, the U.S., the Euro Zone collectively and country-by-country, and others. On the monetary policy front there's the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank of England, and European Central Bank among those reviewing policy settings. There's also employment data from the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/267021-economic-calendar-pmi-numbers-monetary-policy-and-employment-data

Here's the economic calendar for the week commencing the 24th of April 2011. The week ahead holds a range of key economic events including much anticipated Q1 GDP results for the U.S. and U.K. Monetary policy meetings in the U.S., Japan and New Zealand. House price data and consumer confidence numbers in the U.S. And inflation numbers from Australia, Japan, and much of the Euro-Zone economies.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/265145-economic-calendar-u-s-and-u-k-gdp-more-inflation-data-and-the-fed

Here's the Economic Calendar for the week commencing the 17th of April 2011. The week ahead brings more inflation data with New Zealand and Canada reporting CPI, and Australia and Germany reporting PPI. Retail Sales figures are also due out for the UK, Canada, and Italy. On monetary policy, the Reserve Bank of Australia and Bank of England will release their recent meeting minutes. Elsewhere, there's China property prices, EU PMI, US housing starts, Japan exports, and US existing home sales.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/263967-economic-calendar-inflation-property-markets-and-spending-recoveries

 

Is China's Inflation Peaking?